# Southern India Kerala's backwaters, Tamil temple towns and the ruins of Hampi. In southern India, the day often begins before dawn with the deep beat of temple drums echoing across stone gopuram gateways. This is a region where centuries-old rituals still structure daily life, where colossal temple complexes draw worshippers and curious visitors into their cool, dim inner chambers lit by oil lamps and fragrant with jasmine and sandalwood paste. ## Temple Towns and Coastal Heritage Tamil Nadu holds one of India's greatest collections of Hindu temple architecture. The massive gopuram towers of Meenakshi Temple in Madurai are visible across the city, their surfaces dense with painted and carved figures. Nearby, the 11th-century Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur rises above a granite-clad town, its sanctum built without mortar, using only precisely balanced stone. Along the Coromandel Coast, the port city of Kochi tells a different story — a Jewish synagogue with hand-painted tile floors, a Dutch palace, and the peculiar Chinese fishing nets that still stand at the water's edge, operated by the same families who have worked them for generations. ## Hill Country and Spice Gardens Further inland, the Western Ghats rise into rolling hill stations and tea plantations. Munnar's terraced estates stretch across slopes wrapped in morning mist, and it is here that cardamom, pepper, and vanilla grow alongside the tea bushes. The air carries these scents especially in the early morning, when pickers move through the rows and small waterfalls cut through the forest. In Coorg, coffee plants grow beneath a canopy of silver oaks, and the region's cuisine — slow-cooked pork and fermented bamboo shoot — reflects its distinct Kodava culture. ## Kerala Backwaters The backwaters of Kerala offer a slower kind of travel. A network of canals, lakes, and rivers runs behind the Malabar Coast, fringed by coconut palms and paddy fields. Houseboats drift between villages where children swim in the shallows and women wash laundry at the water's edge. Meals arrive on banana leaves — fresh fish, prawn curry, bananas fried in coconut oil — eaten from small plates balanced on lap. ## Places in Southern India - Kerala ## Tours that visit Southern India No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/southern-india/